42 business R&D in new materials and nanotechnology
In 2014, 20% of firms in France that carried out R&D in-house incurred R&D expenditure in the fields of new materials or nanotechnology. Overall research expenditure in these two fields was €3.6 billion in 2014, or 11.7% of total BERD.
In 2014, 21% of firms in France that carried out R&D in-house incurred R&D expenditure in the fields of new materials or nanotechnology. Overall research expenditure in these two fields was €3.6 billion in 2014, or 11.7% of total BERD (business enterprise intramural expenditure on R&D). This amount is stable compared to 2013 when it stood at €3.5 billion, after a strong increase in previous years.
In 2014, 18% of R&D firms were involved in research into new materials (table 42.01). The total R&D expenditure on new materials was €2.8 billion for 2014, accounting for a quarter of all intramural business enterprise expenditure on R&D (BERD). When expenditure is broken down by industrial branch, the automotive industry (15% of all R&D expenditure devoted to this field) is now ahead of the chemical (14%) (chart 42.02).
In 2014, 3.2% of R&D firms were involved in research into nanotechnology totalling €800 million, or 2.6% of all BERD (chart 42.02).
In 2014, three fifth of expenditure on nanotechnology research (60%) was devoted to the ‘Manufacture of electronic components and boards, computers and peripheral equipment’ research branch. This share rises sharply over the last year: it was only 55% in 2013.
There are relatively few small businesses active in the field of new materials: in 2014, only 30% had less than 20 employees, compared to 49% for all R&D companies (chart 42.03). Furthermore, 52% of companies active in new materials had at least 50 employees, compared to 32% of all R&D companies and 39% of companies active in nanotechnology
Comparatively, in nanotechnology, more small businesses spend money on R&D. In 2014, 61% of companies active in R&D had fewer than 50 employees. The proportion of companies in this personnel band was significantly the same in France as in South Korea (60%) and Finland (59% in 2013). By contrast, this category was more strongly represented in Germany, where 75% of companies active in nanotechnology had fewer than 50 employees (2012 data) and the United States (69%).
Companies dedicated to these two fields are, on average, smaller structures than R&D companies as a whole (220 people for companies dedicated to new materials and 60 people for companies dedicated to nanotechnology, compared to 240 people for all R&D companies).
Companies dedicated to new materials represented around 8% of all R&D companies. They devoted nearly all their BERD, i.e. €1.6 billion in 2014, to new materials. Companies dedicated to nanotechnology represented very few of all R&D companies (0.9%). They also devoted nearly all their BERD, i.e. a little under €0.2 billion in 2014, to nanotechnology.
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42.01 Data on business R&D in the fields of new materials and nanotechnology in 2014
1 All figures for GERD are rounded off to the nearest €100,000. However, the ratios are calculated using non-rounded data.
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42.02 Breakdown by research branch of R&D expenditure by active firms in the fields of new materials and nanotechnology in 2014 (%)
Expenditure is categorised using a classification system of 32 branches. Only the top four branches (in terms of expenditure) are shown for each of the fields in question.
In 2014, the branch 'Manufacture of motor vehicles' carried out 15% of new materials GERD.
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42.03 Breakdown by number of employees of active firms in new materials and nanotechnology in 2014 (%)
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Translation
42 - la R&D en nouveaux matériaux et en nanotechnologies dans les entreprises - Stéphane Montenache